FanFiction.Net - unleash your imagination 
mobile edition|
Author of 44 Stories |
Disclaimer:
I don't own Justice League, though I damn well wish I did. Or maybe just Supergirl. Oh yeah. Her, a tropical island, and some coconut oil. That's all I'd need.
Wonder Woman's fantasy dream-life, under the influence of the Black Mercy. Married to Bruce Wayne, welcomed by her mother and Themyscira, no longer forced to don a costume to protect others or fight evil. But something feels wrong to her still, as if the world she lives in is not real. One-shot set during and just after the JLU episode 'For the Man who has Everything.' Primary focus on Wonder Woman and Batman.
But then her strength began to fail, and the plant lashed out suddenly and grabbed her shoulders and drew itself forward, latching onto her chest. She struggled 'til the very end, until her strength failed her, sapped away by the insidious Black Mercy, and she dropped limply onto the icy ground, her eyes open wide, staring at nothing.
And she started to dream...
"Do you really think this is a good idea?" came a voice to her right, and Diana glanced idly over at her passenger. Bruce Wayne, hanging on to her as she flew them over the sea and towards their ultimate destination. Themyscira.
"Of course it is," she replied, smiling at him brightly as the wind ruffled her ebon locks. "Mother did invite us, after all. And you're a hero of the realm. Regardless of your gender that makes you welcome on Themyscira."
"I meant the outfit," he replied, his voice the usual flat tone he usually had when he was saying something funny but being utterly seriously about it. And it never failed to make her want to laugh, though this time she managed to suppress it with just a smile.
They were dressed up to meet royalty, after all. And not just any royalty, but the High Queen of Themyscira, Queen of the Amazons. Which meant a little more primitive garb than Bruce was used to. It'd been quite a while since he'd last worn a toga, and Diana could sympathize with him. They were both so used to their costumes. Bruce's toga was black (his primarily color of choice) and he had reluctantly been persuaded to add the golden leaves atop of his head as befitting a hero of Themyscira (though Diana had definitely had to work hard to convince him). Diana was wearing much the same, with her tiara in place of the golden leaves and a plain white toga, such as she used to wear as a young girl. Plain, simple, and utterly without complication.
Just like her life.
She smiled, hugging Bruce closer as the two of them drifted down lower, skimming a few feet above the surface of the ocean as they neared their destination. Themyscira was just ahead, or so Diana could sense. A hidden island, it was impossible to reach save by the Amazons or those they'd entrusted with the knowledge. So far as Diana knew, only she had ever shared this knowledge, and then only with Shayera and Bruce. And those had both been important times...
... but she tried not to think about them, shrugging them off as easily as a snake discarded its old skin. She'd put her old life as Wonder Woman behind her. She'd put away her costume, hung up her lasso, put away her bracers, and settled down happily with a man she loved. Bruce had done much the same thing, giving up his costumed alter-ego and finding a wonderful woman who was finally able to draw him out of the depths of shadow he'd engulfed himself in.
They dropped down onto the sandy shore, and Diana reluctantly released Bruce as he smiled over at her, glad to be back on solid ground. For all his rappelling and flying in vehicles being carried by a woman who flew under her own power made him feel uneasy. She tried to accommodate him, but this had been the only way to reach Themyscira. Particularly with the Batwing dismantled.
Smiling, Diana took his hand.
"Come, let's go meet Mother. I'm sure she'll be thrilled to meet you."
"I just hope she doesn't try to kill me," he replied diplomatically, giving her hand a squeeze back. Their fingers intertwined, and the rings they both wore lightly clinked together.
Wedding rings.
At the opposite end of the courtyard Diana had already spotted her mother.
Queen Hippolyta, Ruler of Themyscira, High Priestess of Hera, Guardian of the Gates of Tartarus, approached with the quiet dignity she had always seemed to personify. Her motions were calm, her movements slow and relaxed, as if she was meeting a stranger or a royal guest. But despite this, Diana could see her eyes sparkle as she regarded her only daughter.
"Welcome home," said Queen Hippolyta.
"Glad we are to be here," replied Diana, giving a low, courtly bow as was required of her. Even though it took every ounce of her strength not to run over and hug the mother she'd missed so terribly much for so very, very long. Belatedly, she managed to find her voice. "I present Bruce Wayne, honored as one of the Heroes of Themyscira," she said, then added "And my husband," looping her arm through his. He blushed slightly, looking slightly ill at ease meeting his mother-in-law, a Queen no less, and surrounded by Amazonian guards, but he -somehow- managed to take it all in stride.
Queen Hippolyta did not reply to that for some time. Then, finally, she said "I am happy for you, my daughter. Please, we have much to discuss," and, without explanation, turned and departed, leaving her guards behind.
"General Phillipus," said Diana, motioning over the dark-skinned captain-of-the-guards. She hurried over, and Diana drop her voice to a stage whisper. "Provide protection," she said, winking at Bruce.
"I don't need protection," he replied, folding his arms across his chest and managing to look stern. She smirked playfully, as she'd been expecting that.
"I meant for them," she said, indicating the gathering amazons. Bruce and Phillipus both nodded, and Diana quickly hurried off to catch up with her mother.
As she did, a brief blur of blonde hair caught Diana's eye, and she turned her head to see who it was. One of her amazons sisters, no doubt. But when she turned her head and the figure came into sharp focus, her bright blue eyes opened wide in astonishment. It was Aresia. But, that was...
Diana grimaced slightly, one hand rising up to rub her temples. Her head hurt suddenly, and when she looked up again, Aresia was still there, chatting animatedly with another of their sisters about the newcomer. Now she remembered, she thought with a smile. Aresia was one of her best friends. They'd been so ever since Aresia had come ashore on Themyscira. How foolish of her to think otherwise. Ignoring her minor headache, Diana jogged after her mother to catch up with her.
"I know mother," she replied, standing beside Hippolyta as her mother turned to regard Diana. The two were almost the same height, but so different featured that almost none who did not know them would think they were related. Only their crystal blue eyes were the same.
"But, I also know what you have suffered through, I know what you have done and why you have done it, and you have made me... immeasurably proud of you," Hippolyta then said, her normally stern and cool features relaxing into a warm, heartfelt smile.
Diana felt her eyes moisten, and feared she might ruin the moment by crying. "Thank you," she said, her voice scarcely a whisper. Mother and daughter embraced then. Separated by long years, by a distance of thousands of leagues, by a decree Hippolyta had made to uphold the laws of Themyscira, now reunited.
"Now," said Hippolyta, after the embrace was broken, her expression once more becoming serious. "There is the matter of your husband... Diana Wayne," she said, her voice bordering on reproachful.
Diana didn't bother to ask how she knew. She'd known when she sent the letter inviting them both back to Themyscira. She knew that, even with the perfect security system protecting Wayne Manor, her new home, the system that no one could enter without his permission, barring a supervillain, her mother would've known. Her sources of information were mystical in nature. She just simply -knew- such things.
"You can banish me again for all I care," replied Diana, though her voice was not challenging. Just stating the truth. "I love him as I have loved no other, and I intend to live with him in Man's world until the end of my days."
"That could be a considerably longer time than your husband," replied Hippolyta, stepping away from her daughter to admire a nearby growing olive tree. "Considering the Amazonian life-span, you may spend a great deal of your life alone after he..."
"Don't," Diana said warningly. "Please don't. I've made up my mind mother. Yes I know I have to accept some things, but I am ready to do them," she stated firmly, her shoulders squared as if ready to do verbal battle with her mother. "For him," she added.
"You really do love him," replied Hippolyta, her voice becoming wistful. She was suddenly reminded, almost painfully, of a time she'd been in love too. Or at least, she thought she'd been. She'd been warned about Hades, warned by wouldn't listen, and she'd rushed into an agreement that had left her the Gatekeeper of his prison.
But Bruce Wayne, or Batman, was nothing like Hades. And Hippolyta could honestly find no faults in him. He had none of the failings of other men. Jealousy, arrogance, or the like. He stood shoulder to shoulder with beings on par with the Gods, the way Odysseus had so many centuries ago. If Hippolyta was indeed to choose a man to be wed to Diana, she would have chosen Bruce Wayne.
A smile came to her lips.
"Very well, Diana," she said. "I will not dissuade you from this course you have chosen for yourself. But you know our laws."
"I do," replied Diana, no longer facing her mother, but the Queen.
"Still," said Hippolyta, having a brief delight in startling her little girl again. "I think perhaps in this case we are permitted, with the grace of the Gods... to... shall we say... bend them, a little?"
A huge smile spread across Diana's face.
... grimacing darkly, he cut off that line of thought. Not now. No way he was going to think about this right now.
Especially not with her life at stake.
A shudder passed through the icy walls of the Fortress of Solitude, and Batman flung out his cape to protect Diana as a few small stalactites fell from the ceiling, knocking them aside. Frowning darkly, he knocked his cape over his shoulder, peering down at her again. He needed to get the damn plant off of her, yet be careful not to let it overpower him again, or they'd just keep going back and forth until either the Black Mercy or Mongul finished them off.
Tenderly, Batman reached down, grabbing at the edges of the Black Mercy's tentacles, giving a tentative pry. Most of his strength was gone. The plant sapped it fairly quickly, and he imagined the only reason Clark wasn't feeling it was because he was too consumed by rage. Whatever he'd seen, judging from the sounds of battle filling the Fortress, he hadn't enjoyed waking up from it.
"Diana?" he called her name, shaking her, trying to pull off the plant's tentacles. But he was too weak yet. Her bright blue eyes, usually so full of life, were lifeless and open wide. Staring at nothing. At whatever fantasy the Black Mercy was showing her. "Diana!" he called again, his voice starting to fill with desperation.
"Diana...!"
"Mmmm?" she thought aloud, sitting up and glancing over her shoulder at Bruce.
"What?" he asked.
"Did you call me?" she asked. He shook his head. Frowning, Diana concluded it must've been a trick of the wind, and settled back into her relaxed pace alongside him. The two of them were walking along the white sands of Themyscira's western shore, enjoying the sea breeze and the sand beneath their feet. And of course, the fact that they were utterly alone. No Alfred, no Tim, no Barbara, no Hippolyta, no Phillipus. Just the two of them, all alone.
Diana couldn't seem to stop smiling, not even when Bruce gave chase after her in a playful game, and knocked her onto the sandy ground, pinning her gently beneath him. Their lips met as a wave crashed against the shore, giving them both a light soak, but they had eyes and ears only for each other.
Belatedly, what seemed like many hours later, they lay on the beach, safely out of reach of the water, intertwined in one another's arms. Their feet were busy playing with one another's as they watched the beautiful red sunset set below the horizon, and then the stars start to appear, one by one, in the night sky.
"Little dipper," he said, pointing out a particular cluster of stars.
"That's not a greek constellation," she replied, giving him a playful smack across the chest.
"Is so," he argued. "Little bear, to the greeks... there..."
"Oh," she said, finally noticing the stars he indicated. He was right. Darnit. That was another point for him. It was a game they played. Whomever spotted more won, though they both felt like winners afterwards.
"Oooh, there's one," she said, pointing at the three joined stars of his belt. "It's Orio..." and she pausing. Orion.
Diana...!
There it was again... was the wind playing tricks on her ears?
No, no, mustn't think of that. This was, hands down, the happiest day of her life. Well, perhaps not counting her wedding day. That had truly been a joyous occasion.
Wait a moment. If it had been so joyous...
Why couldn't she remember it...?
"Let go of her!" he shouted, angrily, at the plant itself. As if it could understand them. But it couldn't. It was up to him, and to her.
"Diana, wake up! Diana! Diana...!"
The two of them lay on the beach, and thanks to Hippolyta had finally been permitted some time alone together. Though she'd been rather reluctant, she had accepted Bruce, seeing how happy he made her daughter. And since she was the technical heir to the throne of Themyscira, she was permitted to bend a few rules in their favor.
Bend, but not break. Both of them would have to leave the island by tomorrow evening. Hippolyta had not been able to promise more than that. And even that was stretching the laws of Themyscira.
Which showed exactly how much she cared for Diana.
Diana herself was almost giddy with joy, lying on the sands of her home with the man she loved, staring up at the bright, beautiful sky. Sure, the occasional storm cloud flitted through the blue sky, tinged an odd whitish-blue... almost like ice...
She frowned, blinking her eyes, and the mental image faded. But it got her attention. She felt it now. Something close, beneath her skin and close to her heart. Her instincts told her something was wrong, and she believed it. She'd trusted them before too often to start doubting herself now.
"Diana?" asked Bruce, sitting up and glancing over at her. "What's wrong?"
"I... I'm not sure," she replied, slipping gracefully to her feet. She felt a sudden chill. It was cold, but there was no breeze, and it was perpetually summer on Themyscira. Why was it cold?
"Diana...?" came Bruce's voice again. But not that Bruce. Not the one before her, in toga and golden leaves, wearing a wedding ring on his finger. His lips moved, but it wasn't coming from him. The voice was desperate, afraid almost, while he didn't look anything other than mildly concerned.
Diana...? "Diana...?" Diana...? "Diana...?"
When Diana had been very young, she'd visited the clay-worker, Menallipe, in her workshop on Themyscira. She'd beheld a beautiful, perfectly crafted vase that Menallipe had crafted only the previous day, and had reached up to take hold of it, to admire in the manner of small children. With her hands as well as her eyes. And as could be easily predicted, requiring no Oracle, she dropped it. Time had seemed to slow for her as she watched it hit the marble floor. And in that instant, the perfect vase had shattered.
And that was exactly what she thought best described what happened next.
Perfection shattered.
But right now all his focus and determination was on this one stubborn black and violet shrub that spelled death to anyone it latched onto. And he pulled... and pulled...
And then a hand latched onto the plant, and another, near his, and added their strength to his own, and Bruce saw to his vast relief that Wonder Woman's eyes now held life again, and she was aware of her own surroundings once more.
"Give it to me!" she said, her voice strong, and he did not hesitate, assisting her in grabbing the plant and ripping it from her chest, holding it at arm's length a safe distance from latching on to either them, writhe though it did. Plant it seemed when docile, the Black Mercy was more animal when not attached to a living host, with a vicious tongue and mouth that reminded Batman of the hideous rock-eating monster he'd had the misfortune of being lunch for, back on New Genesis.
"Hold it there," said Batman, reaching down to his belt. "I'll attach a batarang to it, then you can throw it clear," he said, pulling out one of his explosive black batarangs and tapping the select three buttons (necessary to prevent it from accidentally going off inside of his utility belt) and held it out as it to spear it clear through the Mercy's jaw.
"No, wait..." said Wonder Woman, and again Batman did not hesitate. Her tone of voice was too commanding. Her gaze darkened as she glanced at the hole in the wall where Superman had just flown, no doubt heading after Mongul. A particularly loud crash echoed throughout the building, and they could hear Superman's words of grief even across the several rooms that separated them. Echoing in the aptly named Fortress of Solitude. Without hesitation, Batman clicked the same three buttons, deactivating the batarang before it blew his hand off.
She turned to look at him then, and he almost stumbled backwards at the amount of raw, seething hatred that was coming from those dangerously narrow, sky-blue eyes. She looked angry enough to rip Mongul's head clean off his shoulders, though unfortunately she was going to have to get in line. Superman and Batman also wanted a piece of the former tyrant of War World.
She held out the still writhing Black Mercy at arm's length, and her angry expression turned into an almost vicious grin.
"... I've a better idea," she said simply.
Turning, she started to crawl forward on all three of her remaining limbs, accepting Batman's aid to stand as the two of them made their way deeper into the Fortress of Solitude, searching for the two combatants. They kept the Black Mercy at arm's length, but thankfully it was starting to grow a little more docile. It still writhed though, and they treated it with the utmost respect. A single slip on their part, and it would all be over for them.
Finally, they found them. Superman was wailing on Mongul, smashing his face into the concrete wall, his voice contorting with anger even as the Fortress shuddered under each blow.
"Do you have any idea what I've lost? What I've...?" came the voice of Superman. Then suddenly, it was cut off. He'd stopped. There was another sound, and then a muffled thud.
"You know for a second there... I really thought you were going to kill me," drifted up Mongul's arrogant, egotistical voice. There came a sound like crunching stone. "Shouldn't have hesitated."
Batman and Wonder Woman peered over the edge, seeing Mongul gloating over the fallen Kryptonian, a great boulder raised up in his arms.
"Well, don't worry... I won't be making that same mistake."
"Hey!" called out Wonder Woman, watching with some satisfaction as Mongul's head twist upwards, his expression twisted in shock, astonishment, and, to Wonder Woman's sick delight, fear. She held up the Black Mercy so he could see it, and was almost delighted to notice that his look of fear grew even more pronounced.
This is for the worst birthday present ever!, she thought vehemently.
"I think this is yours," she said aloud, almost casually, as if she was returning a lost wallet or purse. And then, with all the strength she could muster, she hurled the Black Mercy right at Mongul...
His words voiced aloud similar thoughts coming from the other members of the League present Mongul had attacked them, nearly crushed Diana (and certainly wounded her pride a lot more than her body) and almost killed Superman, and given the greatest cruelty of all. As he'd told Superman, a prison that they could not leave without sacrificing their heart's desires.
Not the best birthday party Clark Kent had ever had, though it promised to be one of the most memorable.
They'd stayed behind, talked, eaten a cake that had been an early gift of Clark's, baked with the loving care of his adopted mother back in Smallville. A card had been sent by his cousin Kara, though she too had included some cash inside and remarked, as Batman had, how difficult it was to buy a present for the man who had everything.
Still, as Batman had pointed out, even a simple card was a decided improvement over Mongul's gift.
The day had grown late, even in the seeming timeless days and nights of the Antarctic, and reluctantly the three heroes had broken up the little birthday party. Superman was taking Mongul up to the Watchtower to properly imprison the tyrant until they determined what to do with him. The plant was being most assistive in keeping the yellow-skinned bastard docile as Superman threw him roughly over his shoulder and zoomed up into the sky.
Before he'd left though, he'd told them both about what he'd seen. The images brought on by the Black Mercy. A home, Krypton, Loana, Van-El, Krypto, Jor-El, all of it. He'd been in tears near the end, when he spoke of his imaginary son. He'd been real to Clark, as real as anything around him, and for all intensive purposes he'd had to abandon them all to return to reality. It had hurt him deeply, far worse than when Dark Seid had wound him up like a toy soldier and set him loose against Earth. Batman, unable to deal with grief in the way most men did, keeping it bottled inside, could find no words to comfort Clark. But Diana, after hearing his story, could think of some.
"Sometimes," she'd said, placing a hand on Kal-El's shoulder. "You can attain the heart's desire without the need for a plant. You've got friends and family here," she added. "And we're here for you if you need it. Happy Birthday." A thin smile had touched Clark's lips then. Not a very happy one, but a smile none-the-less. There was always tomorrow, after all. And so he'd departed with the unconscious Mongul, teleported directly up to the Watchtower, which left Wonder Woman and Batman to make their way out of the Fortress of Solitude as they'd entered it, traveling down to the watery entrance where they'd left Wonder Woman's new transportation, the invisible jet they'd arrived in.
"Do you remember where we parked?" asked Batman, glancing at the open waters.
She laughed at that, "Of course I do, right there," she said, pointing at the side of the cavern. "Look closely, its creating ripples."
"Very nice," he said with grudging admiration. "Where did you say you'd gotten it again?"
"I didn't," she replied knowingly, smirking. "You're not the only one allowed to keep secrets... Bruce," she said, giving him a gentle poke in the chest for emphasis. She started to walk off towards her jet and climb inside, but suddenly her leg gave out on her. Batman was quick to catch her as she stumbled. Damnit, her ankle still hurt abysmally from where she'd kicked Mongul. The bastard had skin as a thick as granite.
That was, unfortunately, the least of her worries. Her left arm was broken (just fractured, a cursory inspection from Batman had shown), her body was covered in bruises (though much of that had healed in the short time they'd been at the Fortress). Her pride, however, was most hurt by the tyrants crude and rather painful remarks about her gender.
"Here, easy," he said, supporting her. Reluctantly, she permitted herself to lean against him, bracing herself against his body. However, his next comment made her stiffen.
"Lean on me," he said.
"I don't need your help," she grunted, roughly pushing him off and managing to stand, though her broken ankle made it somewhat difficult. Still, she wouldn't permit herself to appear weak. She was the Royal Princess of the Amazons, damnit!
But as she turned to inform Batman of that very fact, she saw him suddenly very clearly. Not offended, not angry, just being calm and patient with her. Almost as if she was acting like... like a child throwing a temper tantrum. And she abruptly realized she was behaving as such. Batman wasn't Mongul. He hadn't insulted her. He'd only tried to help. And he'd never treated her as anything less than an equal in all matters.
"I'm sorry," she said softly, allowing him to again wrap an arm around her waist and let her lean against him.
"Its okay," he replied generously, not delving further into the argument. Neither of them needed to exchange many words to understand how the other felt. They shared an unspoken bond. Batman supported her as they made their way into the invisible jet. Batman took over the controls, allowing Diana to sink gently into a seat and rest. Once they reached the Watchtower she could get access to the medical equipment and J'onn's healing expertise, but for now all she needed was a little rest.
But, as she started to drift off into a much needed healing sleep, a thought brought a smile to her full lips. What she'd said to Clark. About some desires of the heart being attainable. Mmmm, she mused, thinking back to her dream. Difficult. Her mother would have a fit if that day ever came.
Difficult but not impossible.
And why not? He thought to himself. The Black Mercy was indeed a very dangerous plant. Showing him that which he'd desired most. His own parents, alive and well. He'd fought it from the beginning, however. Knowing what it was had helped immeasurably, as had his former knowledge. He knew his mental landscape, he knew his desires and his failings. And, as the Mad Hatter had once proven to him, his greatest desire had always been to have his parents returned to him, even though he knew, in this reality, it was a hopeless thing to wish for.
He'd fought it thought. He could've re-imagined the same dream-world the Hatter had shown him. But he'd imagined the night it had all begun. In Crime Alley, with the vicious armed criminal who'd shot them down. And even beyond that, he'd fought it. His subconscious had rebelled against the dream world. Instead of the criminal he'd remembered, he'd envisioned someone different. And instead of his parents the way he remembered them, he'd super-imposed over the images familiar features. Specifically, those of his close friends.
Clark and Diana.
They'd been with him, in a sense. Helping his eight-year-old self.
And then it had all fallen apart, and like Clark and Diana, he'd felt the loss of his fantasy-dream. They all had felt it. Diana's had hurt her too, he could tell. As he'd said, whatever was being done to Mongul by the Black Mercy was too good for the bastard.
But in a way, he decided the Black Mercy had indeed been a good encounter, even if its owners intentions had been far from good. His heart's desire had shown him something. He focused too much on the past, wishing for what might have been. He had to focus more on the future.
As he coasted the jet along, leaving the icy wastelands of Antarctica behind, he glanced over at the sleeping form of Diana, leaning back in her chair, securely buckled in. A stray black lock of hair had drifted down in front of her closed eyes, brushing against her full lips. And right then and there, despite all her battle wounds, she looked absolutely lovely. Definitely had to focus more on the future. As she herself had said, sometimes you can attain the heart's desire without the need for a plant.
It might be difficult. Heck, it might even be impossible, but he liked a challenge. Although she gave a new meaning to the term 'mother-in-law troubles.'
But still, no one knew what the future brought. And tomorrow was another day.
'For the Man who has Everything' was another great JLU episode, and so far the season has been doing as well (if not better than) season two of JL, giving us a nice little mix of characterization, drama, and some kick-ass action. Let's see, now that I'm done reviewing, references. Let's see. Diana's banishment from Themyscira was from 'Paradise Lost,' as was Batman's becoming a recognized hero of the island. Aresia was the Amazon villainess from 'Fury,' where she perished (hence Wonder Woman's brief confusion upon spotting her). General Phillipus is the dark-skinned amazon seen during most shots of Themyscira in battle-armor, though she is not referred to by name (save in casting credits). Hippolyta's brief affair with the Lord of the Underworld, Hades, is also mentioned in 'Paradise Lost'. Diana's reaction to the constellation Orion was another dream-blip because she's actually met the real Orion in 'Twilight.' Menallipe is referred to briefly in 'Paradise Lost' as well, as the creator of a beautiful vase Diana spotted in a museum. In the comics, Menallipe was the priestess of Hera who had Hippolyta fashion Diana from clay and had the Gods give her life. Batman's former encounter with a dream-reality where his parents were alive is, of course, the infamous Batman TAS episode 'Perchance to Dream.'
|
Review this Story |
